At an event viewing the Vatican Christmas Tree & Nativity Scene, Pope Leo XIV calls for end to antisemitic violence

 

Pope Leo XIV holds an audience in the Paul VI Hall with donors of the St. Peter's Square Christmas tree and Nativity scene 

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• Pope Leo XIV
• prayer
• antisemitism
• violence
• christmas
• jews
• terrorism
• abortion

Pope remembers victims of Sydney attack: ‘Enough with antisemitic violence!’

Speaking with the groups that donated this year’s Vatican Christmas Tree and Nativity Scene, Pope Leo highlights God’s closeness to humanity and calls for prayers for those who suffer on account of war and violence, especially the victims of Sunday’s terror attack on the Jewish community in Sydney, Australia.

By Christopher Wells

Nativity scenes and Christmas trees are “signs of faith and hope”, Pope Leo said on Monday, inviting the faithful as they contemplate them to “ask the Lord to renew within us the gift of peace and fraternity”.

The Holy Father went on to ask for prayers for all those suffering due to war and violence, especially victims of the terrorist attack against the Jewish community in Sydney on Sunday, whom he entrusted to the Lord.

“Enough with these forms of antisemitic violence!” Pope Leo said. “We must eliminate hatred from our hearts.”

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A mystery of humility and love

Pope Leo’s remarks came during an encounter with representatives of the communities that donated the Christmas Tree and Nativity Scene for Saint Peter’s Square, and the Nativity Scene set up in the Paul VI Hall, where Monday’s audience took place.

The Nativity Scene in St Peter’s Square – from the Diocese of Nocera Inferiore-Sarno outside of Naples – will remind pilgrims from around the world “that God draws near to humanity, becomes one of us, enters into our history with the smallness of a child,” the Pope said.

He recalled that “in the poverty of the stable in Bethlehem, we contemplate a mystery of humility and love” that invites us to “rediscover ourselves and enter into communion with God.”

A sign of life and hope

Greeting representatives of the “beautiful land” of Bolzano in northern Italy, who donated the 25-meter Norway spruce that stands next to the Creche in St Peter’s Square, Pope Leo recalled that the Christmas tree “is a sign of life and evokes the hope that never fails, even in the cold of winter.”

At the same time, the lights on the tree symbolize Jesus Christ, “the light of the world, Who came to dispel the darkness of sin and illuminate our path.”

The Pope noted that other trees destined for use throughout the Vatican have come from the same region of South Tyrol.

An appeal to protect life from conception

Pope Leo went on to thank representatives of Costa Rica for the donation of the Nativity Scene for the Paul VI Hall, the creation of a Costa Rican artist entitled “Nacimiento Gaudium,” the birth of joy.

The scene is adorned with 28,000 ribbons, each representing a life saved from abortion thanks to the prayers and support of Catholic organizations offered to mothers in need.

The Pope thanked the artist for adding to the Christmas message of peace an appeal for the protection of life from the moment of conception.

May the tenderness of the Christ Child illuminate our lives

Finally, Pope Leo expressed his gratitude to Vatican workers for their generous commitment in decorating the spaces in and around the Vatican for the Christmas seasons.

Concluding his greetings, the Holy Father invited everyone “to allow the tenderness of Baby Jesus to illuminate our lives” and “to allow the love of God, like the branches of an evergreen tree, to remain vibrant within us.”

Pope Leo XIV reflects on the gift of the Nativity

 

Actors in the Living Nativity at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore  (@Vatican Media)

Pope

• Pope Leo XIV
• christmas
• St Mary Major

Pope: The Nativity is a gift of light for our world in need of hope

Speaking to about 1,000 people taking part in the “Living Nativity” tradition at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, Pope Leo challenges them to spread the message that we are never alone and continue to be “pilgrims of hope, bearers of consolation and inspiration for all those you meet.”

By Kielce Gussie

As the second week of Advent draws to a close, inching the Christmas season closer and closer, Pope Leo XIV celebrated a special tradition here at the heart of Rome. At the Vatican, the Pope welcomed about 1,000 participants in the “Living Nativity”, who will process today to the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

He said that the group comes from all over to visit St. Peter’s tomb, which reflects the generations of pilgrims who have travelled across the globe to visit this sacred place. After their meeting with the Pope, the group will celebrate Holy Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary Major—also known as the “Bethlehem of the West” as the Holy Crib is preserved there.

Holy Crib is preserved and venerated at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome

Pope Leo highlighted that the crib is the ancient relic, “together with the pilgrimage to the Holy Land, that inspired Saint Francis, in 1223, to celebrate the first ‘Nativity of Greccio,’ marking the beginning of the Nativity scene tradition.”

From that moment on—more than 800 years ago—people in all corners of the earth continue the tradition of making a Nativity scene.

A message of hope our world needs today

The Holy Father reflected on two of his predecessors’ comments on this Christmas icon. In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI described the Nativity as God's coming without weapons or force to “conquer pride, violence, and man’s craving for possession”.

In 1223, St. Francis began the tradition of the Nativity scene in Greccio, Italy

Ten years later, Pope Francis explained that in front of the Nativity scene, “while we contemplate the Christmas scene, we are invited to spiritually set out on a journey, attracted by the humility of Him who became man to meet every man”.

“This is exactly the case,” Pope Leo noted, because in the cave of Bethlehem, the Holy Family find themselves in “disarming poverty”. It is here that “we begin again to start a new life following in Christ's footsteps.”

As the “Living Nativity” participants process through the streets of Rome to the Basilica, they will be “a joyful sign” of the beauty of being Jesus’ disciples. “This makes you — today, and always, as a mission for your daily life — pilgrims of hope, bearers of consolation and inspiration for all those you meet”, the Holy Father said.

Their mission is one for everyone: the young and old, the healthy and sick, the lonely, and those suffering.

Closing, Pope Leo stressed that the Nativity scene is an important sign that “we are part of a marvelous adventure of Salvation in which we are never alone”. He challenged the “Living Nativity” participants to spread this message and keep the tradition alive as “it is a gift of light for our world, which so desperately needs to continue hoping.”

Holy Mass the night before Christmas, Holy Doors open, Jubilee 2025 begins

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• jubilee
• #JUBILEE2025
• hope
• Pope Francis
• christmas

Pope Francis 'throws open' Holy Door to inaugurate 2025 Jubilee

Pope Francis opens the Holy Door of Saint Peter's Basilica thereby officially inaugurating the 2025 Jubilee of Hope. He reassures during his Christmas evening Mass that the Christ Child of Bethlehem offers the world infinite hope and joy.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

As Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of Saint Peter's Basilica, the evening of 24 December 2024, he ushered in the widely-anticipated 2025 Jubilee of Hope.

With the liturgical gesture of the Door's opening at the start of the Christmas Mass during the Night, as explained in the papal bull for the Jubilee Spes non confundit, the Pope inaugurated the Ordinary Jubilee, a historic event taking place every 25 years.

The Ordinary Jubilee will conclude with the closing of the same Holy Door on 6 January 2026, the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord.

The significance of the Holy Door 

The Holy Door is deemed 'Holy' since it calls all those who enter through it to walk in holiness of life. In the footsteps of the Pope, during the singing of the Jubilee hymn, representatives of the entire People of God crossed its threshold, as a prelude to the countless pilgrims of hope from every country and language who will visit St. Peter's Basilica and celebrate the mysteries of salvation during the Holy Year. 

Pope Francis at the threshold of the opened Holy Door of Saint Peter's Basilica

The origin of the custom goes back to Pope Martin V who, for the Extraordinary Jubilee of 1423, opened a Holy Door to enter the Lateran Basilica. In St. Peter's, it was first used for the Jubilee of 1450.

Its location, the rear wall of the chapel dedicated by Pope John VII to the Mother of God, corresponds to a place where it is found today. Pope Alexander VI, in 1500, endowed this symbol of the opening of the Jubilee with a ritual that remained virtually unchanged over the centuries, until the turn of the millennium, when in the year 2000, the removal of the former brick wall was replaced by the ceremonial opening of the bronze Door already in 1983.

The last opening of the Holy Door for an Ordinary Jubilee was when Pope St. John Paul II had done so in the Year 2000. Pope Francis opened the Holy Door in 2015 for his 2016 Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.

Jubilee to strengthen faith and recognize Christ in our midst

"During the Holy Year," the Pope has prayed, "may the light of Christian hope illumine every man and woman, as a message of God’s love addressed to all! And may the Church bear faithful witness to this message in every part of the world!"

The Holy Father invited us to pray, to prepare ourselves throughout this year, so that this Jubilee may “strengthen us in our faith, helping us to recognize the Risen Christ in the midst of our lives, transforming us into pilgrims of Christian hope."

Restoring us to Our Father's embrace

The Pope picked up the Jubilee theme of hope in his homily. He began recalling the Gospel passage according to St. Luke which recounts when the angel of the Lord, bathed in light, illumines the night and brings glad tidings to the shepherds: 'I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord' (Lk 2:10-11).  

At that moment, the Holy Father reflected on how Heaven breaks forth upon earth amid the wonder of the poor and the singing of angels.  "God," he highlighted, "has become one of us to make us like Himself; He has come down to us to lift us up and restore us to the embrace of the Father."

Little Child offers hope for the world

In Emmanuel, 'God with us,' the Pope reiterated, we find our hope.

"The infinitely great," he marveled, "made Himself tiny" and "the glory of heaven appeared on earth as a little child."  

"If God can visit us, even when our hearts seem like a lowly manger," the Pope continued, "we can truly say: Hope is not dead; hope is alive and it embraces our lives forever!"

“If God can visit us, even when our hearts seem like a lowly manger, we can truly say: Hope is not dead; hope is alive and it embraces our lives forever!”

'There is hope for you'

The Pope reminded that with the opening of the Holy Door, the new Jubilee was inaugurated, which exhorts each one of us to enter into the mystery of this extraordinary event.

"Tonight, the door of hope has opened wide to the world" and "God speaks to each of us and says: 'there is hope also for you!'" he said.

"With haste," therefore, he said, "let us set out to behold the Lord who is born for us, our hearts joyful and attentive, ready to meet him and then to bring hope to the way we live our daily lives.  For Christian hope is not a 'happy ending' which we passively await, but rather, a promise, the Lord’s promise, to be welcomed here and now in our world of suffering and sighs." 

“With haste, let us set out to behold the Lord who is born for us, our hearts joyful and attentive, ready to meet Him and then to bring hope to the way we live our daily lives”

The end to wallowing in mediocrity

Significantly, Pope Francis underscored, the Jubilee "is a summons not to tarry, to be kept back by our old habits, or to wallow in mediocrity or laziness." 

“It is a summons not to tarry, to be kept back by our old habits, or to wallow in mediocrity or laziness”

The Pope recalled Doctor of the Church Saint Augustine's having suggested that hope calls us to be upset with things that are wrong and to find the courage to change them. 

With this in mind, as disciples of the Lord, the Holy Father encouraged, "we are called to find our greater hope in Him, and then, without delay, carry that hope with us, as pilgrims of light amid the darkness of this world."

Rediscovering joy of encounter with the Lord

"Brothers and sisters," the Pope reminded, "this is the Jubilee." 

"This is the season of hope in which we are invited to rediscover the joy of meeting the Lord," he stressed, adding how the Jubilee "calls us to spiritual renewal and commits us to the transformation of our world, so that this year may truly become a time of jubilation."

Pope Francis concluded by offering some food for thought.

"Dear sister, dear brother, on this night the 'holy door' of God’s heart lies open before you.  Jesus, God-with-us, is born for you, for us, for every man and woman. With him, joy flourishes; with Him, life changes; with Him, hope does not disappoint."

“Dear sister, dear brother, on this night the 'holy door' of God’s heart lies open before you.”

Opening of Holy Doors

On Christmas Day, Pope Francis will deliver his Urbi et Orbi message to the people of the city of Rome and the world from the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica at noon.

On 26 December, for the first time in the Jubilee tradition, Pope Francis will open a fifth sacred portal in a Roman prison, a gesture of hope that shows his ongoing closeness to detainees.

On Sunday, 29 December, the Pope will open the Holy Door of his cathedral, Saint John Lateran, which on 9 November this year celebrated the 1700th anniversary of its dedication.

Then, on 1 January 2025, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, the Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major will be opened.

Lastly, Sunday, 5 January 2025, will mark the opening of the Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls.

These last three Holy Doors will be closed on Sunday, 28 December 2025.

Living Nativity Scenes at Vatican prompts Pope to remember the Holy Land during a time of war

 

Pope meeting actors of the Living Nativity Scene in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome  (VATICAN MEDIA Divisione Foto)

POPE

• POPE
• CHRISTMAS
• HOLY LAND
• WAR

Pope: 'At Christmas let us think about the Holy Land'

Meeting a group of actors performing a Living Nativity Scene at the Roman Basilica of St. Mary Major, Pope Francis again turns his thoughts to the war ravaging the Holy Land.

By Lisa Zengarini

Pope Francis has once again reiterated his closeness to all the people suffering the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel.

During an audience on Saturday with a group of actors featuring in a Living Nativity Scene at the  Patriarchal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, he called on Christians to turn their thoughts and prayers this Christmas to the Holy Land.

Praying for all those suffering the war 

“We know the situation, caused by the war, the consequence of a conflict that has lasted for decades.” he said, remarking that for Palestinians living in Bethlehem too this Christmas will be marked by suffering and grieving, with no pilgrims and celebrations.

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Because of the conflict in Gaza, and rising tensions also in the West Bank, in Bethlehem tourism has halted and pilgrimages have been suspended,  while all public celebrations have been cancelled, resulting in further hardships for its inhabitants many of whom live on tourism and pilgrimages. “We don't want to leave them alone”, said Pope Francis, urging for prayers and tangible support.

The historical connection between Bethlehem and  St. Mary Major

In his speech, the Pope recalled the close connection of the Basilica of St. Mary Major to Jesus’ birthplace which goes back to the first centuries of Christianity. The ancient Roman church has a precious relic of pieces of Christ's crib sent from Bethlehem by St. Sophronius, then the Patriarch of Jerusalem, to Pope Theodore I in the seventh century. For this reason, it was also referred to as "the Bethlehem of the West."

Living Nativity scenes are not mere folkloric facts

Also, its underground Chapel of the Nativity once displayed the first known nativity scene figurines, sculpted by Arnolfo di Cambio in the late 13th century for Pope Nicholas IV, who was inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, creator of the first Living Nativity in Greccio, Italy, 800 years ago.

Referring to this detail , Pope Francis remarked that living nativity scenes must not be reduced to mere folkloric facts. Their purpose, as intended by St. Francis, he said, must “be to reawaken wonder in the heart, before the mystery of God who became a child.”

“Francis wanted to represent in life the birth of Jesus to inspire, in friars and in the people, emotion and tenderness towards the mystery of God born of Mary in a stable and laid in a manger. He wanted to give substance to the representation: not a painting, not statues, but people in flesh and blood, in order to highlight the reality of the incarnation.”

Suffering of Bethlehem is an open wound for the world

Concluding his address, Pope Francis reiterated his call to think about the Holy Land at Christmas, noting that the Living Nativity Scene in St. Mary Major will help remind everyone “of how the suffering of Bethlehem is an open wound for the Middle East and for the entire world.”

Pope Francis: How the Creche reminds us of the tragic sadness in the Holy Land

 

Pope Francis addressing the donors of Nativity Scene and Christmas tree in the Paul VI Audience Hall  (Vatican Media)

POPE

• CHRISTMAS
• VATICAN
• ENVIRONMENT
• HOLY LAND
• WAR

Pope: Vatican Creche reminds us of tragedy in Holy Land

Addressing this years’ donors of the Nativity Scene and Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis says the creche invites us to turn our thoughts to the tragedy unfolding in the Land of Jesus, and reiterates the importance of “small gestures” to protect our common home.

By Lisa Zengarini

Pope Francis on Saturday received in audience two delegations from the Municipality of Macra, in the Piedmont Region, and the central Italian Diocese of Rieti, that have gifted this year's Christmas tree and the Nativity Scene to be inaugurated later this afternoon in St. Peter’s Square.

The creche pays tribute to the first Nativity Scene set up by St. Francis of Assisi in the hamlet of Greccio 800 years ago, in 1223.

In that year the “Poor Man of Assisi" stopped in the village located in the Reatine Valley, shortly after a journey to the Holy Land, and was inspired to reproduce the Nativity of Jesus thereby its resemblance with Bethlehem.

The historical connection between Greccio and Bethlehem

Addressing the Italian delegations in the Paul VI Hall, Pope Francis noted that this historical connection between the two sites is particularly meaningful at this time, as we witness the tragic war unfolding in the Land where Jesus was born.

“While we contemplate Jesus, God made man, small, poor, and defenceless, we cannot help but think of the tragedy that the inhabitants of the Holy Land are experiencing, showing to these brothers and sisters of ours, especially to children and their parents, our closeness and our spiritual support, ” the Pope said. “These are the ones who pay the real price of the war.”

Prayer and silence

Pope Francis went on to note that contemplating every nativity scene, including the creches in our homes, should awaken in us sentiments of nostalgia for silence and prayer, in “our often hectic life.”

Silence, he said, allows us to “listen to what Jesus tells us from that unique ‘chair’ which is the manger.”  

Prayer, on the other hand, enables us “to express the grateful wonder, the tenderness, perhaps the tears that the Nativity scene arouses in us.” In this, the Pope remarked, Mary is our model: “She says nothing, but contemplates and adores.”

Concluding, Pope Francis commented on the Christmas tree standing by the Nativity Scene in St. Peter's Square, a 28-meter spruce from the upper Maira Valley, near Turin. 

Gestures for environment are sign of respect for God's Creation

The fir tree had to be felled because it was at risk of collapse and after the festivities, its wood will be used to make toys for children in need. The tree is decorated with lights and live edelweiss flowers cultivated at a nursery to protect wild edelweiss growing in the mountains (picking or transplanting wild edelweiss is against the law in Italy).

Pope Francis commended this choice, saying: “Small gestures are essential in ecological conversion: they are gestures of respect and gratitude for God's gifts.”

The inauguration ceremony

The unveiling of the creche and lighting of the Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square is scheduled for 5 p.m Rome time.  The ceremony will be presided over by Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, president of the Governorate of the Vatican City State.

They will remain in the square through the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, on January 7, 2024.